The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 77 OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE Don't Miss: Michigan does not have a meet in Ann Arbor this season, but will be a part of the annual Michi- gan Open Sept. 1 at Dexter, Mich. FIELD HOCKEY First Game: Aug. 26, vs. North Carolina (at Iowa City) Big Ten Predicted Finish: Top three NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Quar- terfinals Top Players: Fifth-year senior for- ward Carly Bennett, senior forward Emma Way and junior goalkeeper Sam Swenson look to lead the charge for the Wolverines heading into 2017. Bennett has been incredibly consistent during her time at Michigan, start- ing all but six of the 62 games she's played in while leading the team with seven goals last season. Way finished second on the team with six goals. Swenson has also had an impressive career in Ann Arbor so far and racked up 72 saves en route to being named second-team All-Big Ten last season. Athlete To Watch: Sophomore midfielder/forward Meg Dowth- waite appeared in all 20 games last year as a freshman, starting nine. The highlight of her season came when she tallied back-to-back game-win- ners against Iowa and Northwestern in mid-October. Don't Miss: U-M kicks off the season Aug. 26 in Iowa City against UNC, last year's national runner-up. MEN'S SOCCER First Game: Aug. 26, vs. William & Mary Big Ten Predicted Finish: Fifth to eighth NCAA Best-Case Scenario: First round Coach's Expectations: "We had a disappointing 2016, but every year is a new team," coach Chaka Daley said. "Our expectation is to get a tougher mentality and continue to grow. I think we're as optimistic heading into 2017 as we were coming off of 2015." Top Player: Junior forward Francis Atuahene has won several awards dur- ing his time so far at Michigan, includ- ing Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2015 and Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI third-team honors last year. "We expect Francis to continue to lead the charge," Daley said. "He was All-Big Ten his first two years at Michigan, and I'm not sure that's ever happened here." Athlete To Watch: Sophomore for- ward Jack Hallahan impressed last year as a freshman, starting 17 games and racking up four goals. "He had a solid freshman year and hit the ground running," Daley said. "We need him to take another step this year, perhaps by setting up play- ers with assists and taking control of some dead-ball situations." Don't Miss: Michigan travels to Maryland Oct. 29 to face a Terrapins team that went 18-1-2 last year, and won both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles. WOMEN'S SOCCER First Game: Aug. 18, vs. Washington Big Ten Predicted Finish: Top three NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Sweet 16 Coach's Expectations: "We have 11 freshmen, so we're very young," head coach Greg Ryan said. "We have a really tough non-conference schedule and the Big Ten is always tough obviously. In terms of expecta- tions, I think this group will be a fan- tastic team as they gain experience. "If we can get enough wins in the non-conference, that could put us in a good position for the NCAA Tour- nament, which we made last year." Top Player: Fifth-year senior captain Ani Sarkisian, a midfielder/forward, has amazingly started all 61 of the games she has played in during her U-M career. Last year, she racked up six goals and five assists for 17 points, which was good for third on the team. "Fortunately, Ani is not one of our freshmen," Ryan said with a chuckle. "She's an experienced leader, captain of the team, goal scorer and is one of our key players. She's someone who could carry our young team." Athlete To Watch: Redshirt sophomore defender Sura Yekka is returning to Michigan after train- ing last season with the Canada U-20 National Women's Team in prep- aration for the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. "Sura spent a year out, but we're playing in a sys- tem that really suits her strengths," Ryan said. Don't Miss: Michigan travels to South Bend, Ind., Sept. 3 to face South Carolina, which checks in at No. 4 in the preseason National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll. VOLLEYBALL First Game: Aug. 25, vs. Albany (at Los Angeles) Big Ten Predicted Finish: Top five NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Re- gional finals Coach's Expectations: "We have a lot of returners, and what I consider a lot of strong returners who have had great experience within our conference and at the national level," head coach Mark Rosen said. "I'm very encouraged that we have a great group coming back, so our expectations are very high." Top Players: Senior middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright and junior de- fensive specialist/libero Jenna Lerg return to lead the team, after each of them started all of last season. Lerg re- corded double-digit digs in all but five contests last year, while Kieffer-Wright led the team in blocks 20 times. "Jenna is one of the elite liberos in the country," Rosen said. "She has the ability to change matches, whether it's with her defense or ball control. "I think Claire is one who's under the radar a little bit, but she really grew into her own last year. She was a huge part of our team offensively … I think she quietly has become one of our most effective weapons. She stepped into a captain's role this year, too, and is the only person I've ever heard of who has been the captain of two teams — she's the captain of the track team and the volleyball team." Athlete To Watch: Sophomore setter MacKenzi Welsh led the team in assists in all 35 matches last year and was named to the Fresh- man All-Big Ten team as a result. "It's always challenging to keep that success up from year to year, so she has to work just as hard as a sophomore," Rosen explained. "In my mind, she's one of the elite centers in the country." Don't Miss: On Oct. 7, Michigan hosts a Minnesota team that went 29-4 and 17-3 in Big Ten play last season. ❏ Junior Francis Atuahene is a two- time All-Big Ten performer and scored a team-high eight goals last year. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS